Machine readable labeling technologies include optical barcodes, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and physically un-clonable electronic functions (PUFs). Labels are placed on or inside an object, and the label is read using an appropriate machine reader. These labels are used for the identification and tracking of the objects to which they are attached.
Certain objects are very small, such as integrated circuits and other electronic components, and these conventional machine readable technologies may not be compatible with very small objects or may require significant and costly modifications to work in small objects. In addition, certain labeling applications require labeling and traceability of objects such that the existence of the label is not readily apparent for security purposes. Existing technologies such as optical barcodes do not provide for this type of secure labeling.
Therefore, an object label and labeling system are desired that works with large objects and very small objects such as integrated circuits and electronic components. The label can be placed on either an exterior surface of the object or within the interior of the object. The labeling system would provide millions of unique label identifiers with a very low or zero probability of duplicate label identifiers.